More Glimpses
by B.A. Tyler
Summary: A series of 100-word drabbles inspired by various episodes in seasons 4-11. Updated with the final 5 drabbles. Now complete!
1. First Morning

(Inspired by the episode "Welcome to Korea.")

**First Morning**

B.J. wakes up to his first morning in Korea. He feels disoriented and scared. He misses home desperately already, and the cast of characters surrounding him is… quirky, to say the least.

C.O. Frank Burns is gung-ho and disturbing.

There's a hairy orderly who wears dresses.

The company clerk is nervous and constantly on the move, but does his job amazingly well.

B.J. looks over at Hawkeye, who's already drinking gin. Hawkeye comforts him just by being here. _Thank God for Hawkeye_, he thinks. _I can't imagine what this place would be like if I hadn't found him here._


	2. Taking the Reins

(Inspired by the episode "Change of Command.")

**Taking the Reins**

I never get used to this, arriving someplace new and trying to make it my own. It's a delicate balance. Lead firmly but don't overwhelm. Take the reins but don't bring the horse to a halt.

They're good at their jobs, they're successful and smart. They don't need me to tell them what's what. They only need to be gently guided, shown direction, then let loose to gallop to the finish line.

After a win, the rider tends to get the credit, but the horse is the one who did all the hard work. I swear I'll never forget that.


	3. At a Loss

(Inspired by the episode "The Late Captain Pierce.")

**At a Loss**

"Dr. Pierce? This is Michael Donahue from _The_ _Crabapple Cove Courier_. We're putting together the obituary for your son. Is there anything in particular you'd like us to mention?"

_Scraped knees after I took the training wheels off his bike. The look on his face when he caught his first fish. Nursing that sick bird back to health. Posing for his prom picture with that sweet Kathy Gibson at his side. Graduating near the top of his class from medical school. _

Daniel swallowed a sob, managed to take a deep, if shaky, breath. "Just write… He was a good son."


	4. Sixth Sense

(Inspired by the episode "The Bus.")

**Sixth Sense**

The night is black as ink and every little sound is scaring the bejeebies out of me. This might not have been the best idea, wandering around in the woods, trying to get some sense of direction, of where we should go.

"_Radar's radar is jammed."  
"__If it wasn't, would we be here?"_

Hawkeye apologized, but when people say things off the top of their heads like that, they really mean it.

C'mon, intuition, ESP, whatever it is I have… kick into high gear already.

I got us into this, I need to be the one to get us out.


	5. Heaven Knows

(Inspired by the episode "Quo Vadis, Capt. Chandler?")

**Heaven Knows**

Radar wonders: if this man really _is_ Christ, then why does he need a doctor? What's he doing in the middle of a war to begin with?

He just looks like an ordinary man, lying there in post-op… just as vulnerable to injury as anyone else.

Still… if he says he's Jesus, who is Radar to argue? The bigger questions—what he's doing here and what will become of him—are best left to the doctors.

Radar shrugs to himself and pours a second cup of orange juice. If the man really is Christ, Radar wants to be remembered.


	6. Dear BJ

(Inspired by the episode "Dear Peggy.")

**Dear B.J.**

Honestly, B.J., when I read your letters, I sometimes wonder if you're making things up. The chaplain coming to inspect Father Mulcahy—OK, that sounded perfectly normal. Hawkeye stuffing a bunch of people into a jeep—even that made sense, based on what you've already told me about Hawkeye. But Klinger trying to escape camp and get all the way to the States using an inflatable raft? Either that man's completely insane, or I have to worry that my husband's losing _his_ grip on reality. Or maybe craziness is catching over there.

B.J. laughed. "Oh, Peg, you have no idea."


	7. Shoot

(Inspired by the episode "The Gun.")

**Shoot**

I shouldn't have taken the gun… I know that. I just wanted to show it to Margaret. I wanted her to see me with it, to admire it on me, and she did… she did.

Then O'Reilly got in trouble and Pierce and Hunnicutt cornered me, tried to get me to confess. Why didn't I? Could've ended it right there. Could've handed the gun over, made apologies all around… that would've been that.

I don't know why I do the things I do. For attention, admiration, respect. Just anything, I think… anything other than the hatred I get every day.


	8. A Major Surprise

(Inspired by the episode "The Price of Tomato Juice," in which Margaret is tricked into thinking that Frank proposed to her.)

**A Major Surprise**

Margaret reads the note again. _Let me come to you on my knees to propose.__  
_  
She pictures a gorgeous white gown, beautiful flowers, the mess tent decorated with streamers. Or maybe they can get leave to Tokyo to marry and actually have the ceremony in a church, though she'd prefer Father Mulcahy presiding rather than some stranger, truth be told.

She giggles. She's getting ahead of herself. First things first… the proposal, the acceptance. He needs to divorce before they can marry, after all.

But the first step is finally here. _Finally._

She's positively glowing as she awaits her beloved.


	9. Ode to the Foot Inspection

(Inspired by the episode "Dear Ma.")

**Ode to the Foot Inspection****  
**  
Foot inspection… 200 pairs,  
A stinky job and a bore,  
Margaret's are pretty, B.J.'s are huge,  
Potter gets a perfect score.

Mulcahy has a scar on his toe,  
Margaret has fungus and swelling,  
Klinger's missing a nail—don't ask,  
Who knew feet could be so telling?

Returning to camp from Kha Doc,  
Potter gets shot in the rear,  
His wife calls up, worried to death,  
"It's OK, I'm just fine, my dear."

One last pair of feet to inspect,  
Frank has been watching with dread,  
Beej and I jump him, get his boots off,  
Holy cow—his toenails are red!


	10. Evolution of a Friendship

(Inspired by the episode "Some 38th Parallels.")

**Evolution of a Friendship**

I saved his life—Cap'n Hunnicutt even said so. That was one of the best things I ever did… ever.

I sat with him in post-op. We did a jigsaw puzzle together, talked about the things we missed back home. We got to be friends.

Then just like that, he was dead.

Like I said to Cap'n Hunnicutt, he was here one second… gone the next. I still can't get over it.

I really miss him. Yeah, I know he's not the only soldier who died in the War today. But he's the only one who was my friend.


	11. The Way We Were

(Inspired by the episode "The More I See You.")

**The Way We Were**

Sharing a small flat in Boston. Fighting the cat for scraps. Having hunter-green hands for a week.

Carlye's back in my life and it's as if she never left in the first place.

Except for one critical difference: she's married now. And not to me.

"_When was the first, last, or any time in between that you ever asked me?"_

I told her it was because I'd been struggling, broke. And maybe there's an element of truth in that.

But honestly… if she had really been "the one," wouldn't I have figured out some way to make it work?


	12. Swamped

(Inspired by the episode "Deluge.")

**Swamped**

Nonstop incoming wounded. Way too many. From the looks of it, you'd think we're the only M*A*S*H in the whole country.

No sleep, no rest. No time to eat or take a breath or even think, really.

Too much blood on the floor of the bus. It was so slippery that I fell and broke my glasses.

A plasma shortage. A rainstorm… raindrops dripping through my roof and onto my desk. Trying to wheel and deal with other units, trying to read through broken glasses.

At the end of my rope? No. The rope ran out a long time ago.


	13. A Page from Margaret's Diary

(Inspired by the episode "Margaret's Engagement.")

**A Page from Margaret's Diary****  
**  
He's perfect. He's everything I've ever wanted. He's the one, Diary… he's the one.

Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot. Broad-shouldered, tattooed, strong and brave.

I've met the man of my dreams. It's as if I specially ordered him out of a catalog, he's that perfect for me.

Finally I get the marriage and the picket fence and the 2.5 children. Finally I get to find out what it's like to have a home life that's every bit as fulfilling as my Army career.

Can the two be balanced? Just watch me. Watch _us_. Donald and I will make it work.


	14. Blindsided

(Inspired by the episode "Out of Sight, Out of Mind.")

**Blindsided**

He talks about rainstorms that he feels a part of… about thunder that echoes forever. He talks about there being some kind of an advantage to being blind, that he's experiencing things he never experienced before.

He smiles and says he's OK. "It's not all that terrible… don't feel sorry for me… I'm actually getting something out of this."

I can't help thinking he's lying or in denial or maybe a little of both. Deep down, past the brave façade, he's got to be worried. He's got to be scared.

I know that I am.

A hawk needs his sight.


	15. Excluded

(Inspired by the episode "The Nurses.")

**Excluded**

They think you're cold… distant and sour. They avoid you outside of work because they don't see a woman when they look at you… they see only their boss.

Don't they know you _need_ to be a leader, you need to be firm and in charge?

But when you stop to think about it, you realize you've rarely had a personal conversation with any of them. You haven't told them much about yourself. You're afraid to let them see any hint of weakness or need.

Oh, how you want them to like you. But think about it… why should they?


	16. From the Desk of Dr Sidney Freedman

(Inspired by the episode "Dear Sigmund.")

**From the Desk of Dr. Sidney Freedman**

Just between you and me, Sigmund, I think they're all a little loony. I smile and tell them they're coping remarkably well, but truthfully? I worry.

Klinger wears dresses, Radar talks to a teddy bear, B.J. plays elaborate pranks. I could go on, but you get the idea.

After everything they see, it makes sense that they'd have their little defense mechanisms. Doesn't it? Well, look who I'm asking.

Still, I worry. They all seem perilously close to the edge, Sigmund. So close that any one of them could drop right off. It frightens me.

But that's strictly between us.


	17. Being Frank

(Inspired by the episode "The Colonel's Horse," in which Margaret needs her appendix out but she won't let Frank operate.)

**Being Frank**

Used to be, she was my only friend here. We were a couple, we were a team. Us against them.

Then she went to Tokyo and met her Mr. Right. She got engaged to him, and she disengaged from me. Now she's like everyone else here: insult Frank, yell at Frank, every joke at Frank's expense.

I used to be her knight in shining armor. She would turn to me for help, for friendship, for love.

Now I'm not even good enough to perform her appendectomy.

I just don't know what happened. She's changed so much. I'm still the same.


	18. Writing Assignment 3

(Inspired by the episode "The Most Unforgettable Characters.")

**Writing Assignment #3**

Radar opens his notebook, wondering how to start. He knows what he wants to write about… the most unforgettable characters he knows… two of the best people he's ever met.

Problem is, he doesn't think he has the words to do it. He can't quite put his finger on the right ones. _Miracle medical mortals… super-smart surgeons…_

But that was before, when he was using words that weren't really his own. Before Col. Potter told him to be himself.

He nods and puts pen to paper.

_I admire two guys who save lives and smile while they do it…_


	19. Dear Peg

(Inspired by the episode "Hanky Panky.")

**Dear Peg…**  
_  
__This is a very difficult letter to write… __  
_  
B.J. crosses that out, tries again.

_Dear Peg,__  
__I can only pray you'll forgive me…__  
_  
Hawkeye comes into the Swamp then, interrupting his struggle.

"What's that?" Hawkeye asks.

"I'm writing Peg about it."

When Hawkeye grabs the letter and throws it into the furnace, B.J. feels his remorse and guilt reach epic proportions.

But he also feels undeniable, overwhelming relief.

_What she doesn't know won't hurt her._ It may be true, but it doesn't seem like a B.J. Hunnicutt thought.

He's not surprised, though. He's becoming less himself with every passing day.


	20. Gee Ma, I Wanna Go Home

(Inspired by the episode "Movie Tonight.")

**Gee Ma, I Wanna Go Home**

The next morning, Radar was still singing the song to himself. Such a catchy tune… he couldn't get it out of his head. Laughing a little, secure in the knowledge that nobody was around, he picked up his teddy and sang to it…

_Oh some guys in the Army__  
__They're all alone and blue__  
__But my bear is my best friend__  
__You are what gets me through…__  
__  
__Oh, I don't want no more of Army—__  
_  
"Awww, aint that sweet!" Klinger said from the doorway, grinning.

Radar whirled around, turning beet-red. "Klinger!" he yelled, and chased after the retreating corporal.


	21. Being Frank Part II

(Inspired by the episode "Margaret's Marriage.")

**Being Frank Part II**

I watch as she gets in the chopper. So she's finally married. She looks so happy. She doesn't need me anymore… Did she ever? I'm not even sure.

I know that I needed her. We used to be so good together, so in tune with each other. She supported me, gave me confidence. I'm smaller without her… I'm less of a man.

The others wave, then start to walk back to camp. The chopper soars into the sky, whisking her away.

So this is it, then. This is how it ends.

Not with a bang but with a whimper. Mine.


	22. In the Cards

(Inspired by the episode "Fade Out, Fade In.")

**In the Cards**

Major Charles Emerson Winchester stood in the vile tent called the Swamp. He looked around at the clothing strewn all over, the crude gin-making machine, the filth.

This was a far cry from the comfort of Tokyo General.

He could still be there, demonstrating surgical techniques, sleeping in his own luxurious hotel room.

But instead he wound up here, in this squalid tent at this primitive hospital on the edge of the front lines.

He shut his eyes, hardly able to believe this was happening to him.

Who knew this would be the cost of winning $672.17 at cribbage.


	23. An Education

(Inspired by the episode "Fallen Idol.")

**An Education**

_The hell with your Iowa naivete and the hell with your hero worship and your teddy bear and while you're at it, the hell with you. _

My ma always said it was good to have heroes. Somebody to look up to, somebody to show you the right way to act.

Well I guess the right way to act is to yell at someone when he's down, make him feel even worse. Is that it?

_I'll give you a fistful of Iowa naiveteness right in the puss!_

Yeah, I guess that's how it's done.

I learned it from my former hero.


	24. Whodunit?

(Inspired by the episode "The Light That Failed.")

**Whodunit?**

"Dang!"

"Miss Porterfield? Something wrong?"

"That nice doctor called all the way from Korea, wanting to know the outcome of 'The Rooster Crowed at Midnight.' And I'm afraid I gave him the wrong answer."

"You did?"

"I said Avery Updike, but that's not right, is it?"

"You would know better than I, ma'am. Would you like me to fetch your copy of the book so you can check?"

"No, that's OK. I wouldn't have any way of calling back that nice Dr. Honeycomb." She sighed. "And anyway, that's pretty trivial in comparison to Dr. Sun Yat-sen dying, don't you think?"


	25. Enduring

_(Author's Note: Drabble fatigue seems to have set in, for the writer and I suspect for the readers, too. I don't intend to stop writing these, but inspiration isn't coming as frequently as it used to, so updates may be slow. Thank you, as always, for reading.)_

--------

(Inspired by the episode "Images." To refresh your memory: Radar wanted a tattoo, and Margaret was angry with a nurse who seemed too soft.)

**Enduring**

He said he wanted a tattoo to make him seem more experienced, more interesting. As if something on his skin could change what lies within him. But he's already been tattooed here. He's forever changed by this war.

She said she couldn't let herself get too emotional about the things she sees every day; it would diminish her effectiveness. But she's always going to feel this place. She'll always carry around with her every patient she helped—and every patient she lost.

There's no escaping what we endure here. One way or another, we'll all be left with permanent marks.


	26. Take That, Darlene

(Inspired by the 2-part episode "Comrades in Arms.")

**Take That, Darlene**

So, he thinks I'm sturdy. At first I took it as an insult. Hardly romantic. Hardly a flattering word for a man to use to describe his wife.

But you know what? Sturdy means strong. It means hardy and resolute. After what I've been through lately, after all the little heartbreaks that Donald has given me, after falling into Hawkeye's arms only to have him shove me away again… strong, hardy, and resolute are exactly what the doctor ordered.

You know, even when my world crumbles around me, somehow I end up still standing.

Sturdy? Hell, I have to be.


	27. Pulling Back

(A second drabble inspired by the episode "Comrades in Arms.")

**Pulling Back**

It was inevitable, wasn't it? That eventually we'd… you know… do the deed. All that friction between us, the tension, the hostility.

Turn it sideways, turn it over, turn it upside down. Bad blood turns to hot-blooded. Hate turns to heat. Fury turns to fire.

Oh yeah, it was bound to happen, all right. But now that it's happened… why am I bound?

I guess I'm not surprised by her expectations. It is Margaret, after all. I should've known she'd want more than I can give her. She's always dreaming of the future. I'm not convinced there is one.


	28. Reaching Out

(Inspired by the episode "Temporary Duty," in which an old friend of Margaret's comes to camp.)  
**  
****Reaching Out ****  
**  
Lorraine was right, I _am_ closed up all over. I didn't even notice… it just happened. I became tough and no-nonsense and guarded, and my world shrank until the only person I trusted—the only person I had left—was me.

I'm surrounded by people, and yet this is the loneliest I've ever felt in my life. "Let them in," Lorraine urged. "Let them know what a warm, caring person you really are."

So I catch up to Charles and B.J. and offer: "How about a cup of coffee in the mess tent?"

Time to start opening up again.


	29. Back in Custody

(Inspired by the episode "They Call the Wind Korea," in which a beloved pet of Radar's goes missing.)

**Back in Custody**  
**  
**"Radar! I believe I have a friend of yours… someone you've been looking for…?"

The tall man hands me over to the young chap who calls me Babette. He's thrilled to see me, but all I can think is, rats! I was so close to breaking out of here!

Yeah, this guy treats me OK, but that Bongo, the pig I share a hutch with? What a dolt! He's perfectly content to just sit around chirping all day, eating lettuce. Hey, genius―wake up and smell the pellets! We're _guinea pigs_ and this is a _hospital_.

Need I say more?


	30. Dear Mom and Dad

(Inspired by the episode "Point of View.")

**Dear Mom and Dad**

Yeah, I've been wounded—in the throat, to be exact—but don't worry. I'm being well taken care of here, at this Army hospital. The people are a little odd, but they sure do know what they're doing. They seem so confident and professional, even as one surgeon steals another's diary, and a male medic walks around in women's clothing, and a doctor accuses his C.O. of senility.

Did I mention it was an odd place?

Once I get my voice back, I'll tell you all about it. Ah, on second thought, never mind. You probably wouldn't believe me anyway.


	31. Battle of the Sexes

(Inspired by the episode "Inga." This is the visiting woman doctor.)

**Battle of the Sexes****  
**  
My father warned me that medicine was a man's world. Are you strong enough, he wondered, to deal with that?

Don't worry, Dad, I'd told him. I can do it. I want this, to be a doctor… to be a _great_ doctor.

He did his best to prepare me. And I've certainly seen it before… men expecting me to defer to them, to pretend to be less than what I am. I just never get used to it.

Why do you feel so threatened? What exactly scares you? C'mon, buck up, work with me, learn from me.

Be a man.


	32. A Page from Hawkeye's Notebook

(Inspired by the episode "The Young and the Restless," in which a very young surgeon is giving a lecture on new techniques and Hawkeye is supposedly taking notes.)

**A Page from Hawkeye's Notebook**

Penetrating wounds of the heart. Ah, a specialty of mine. Oh, he probably means _fixing_ them, not _causing_ them.

God, this guy's young. Oh goodie, Winchester's finally here. This should be interesting.

Charles has been in the room two minutes and already the wunderkind's got him rattled, agitated. Wish I weren't sitting in back of him. I'd love to see those eyes spinning.

Potter wants to know if I'm getting everything. Yes sir, every sanctimonious retort, every conceited crack, every drop of sweat on Charles's bald spot.

Wounds to the heart… wounds to the ego. We see it all here.


	33. GONE

(Inspired by the episode "C*A*V*E." A double-drabble this time, 200 words. I noticed that Radar did not appear in the ep at all, which led me to wonder what would happen if he returned from his R&R while everyone was taking refuge in the cave. In the episode, Hawkeye and Margaret go back to the 4077th to use the OR, but for the purposes of this drabble, let's pretend they stayed at the cave with everyone else.)

**G*O*N*E****  
**  
"Anybody? Hey, is anyone here?"

Bewildered, Radar stood in the middle of the compound… the decidedly very _empty_ compound… his heart hammering. Where was everyone?

He went back into his office, then into the Colonel's office. Then to post-op. Out to the mess tent… the Swamp… Klinger's tent.

Didn't matter where he went, there wasn't a soul to be found.

He was terrified.

He scampered into his office, picked up the phone. "Sparky? Sparky, you're not gonna believe this, but my camp has been abducted or somethin'. Nobody's here!"

Sparky laughed, and Radar felt his confusion shift to anger. "What's so funny?"

Radar listened as Sparky said something about a cave and escaping a crossfire and getting the patients somewhere safe until it all blew over.

Which it had, apparently… in the last hour or so.

When Radar heard the jeeps rolling down the road toward camp, the gang returning after their mini-bug-out, he sat at Colonel Potter's desk with his feet up, harboring a fury that could melt steel.

Potter's eyes were huge when he opened his door and saw his company clerk behind the desk.

"Next time," the young Corporal bellowed, "leave a goddamn note!"


	34. Back to the Farm

(Inspired by the episode "Good-bye, Radar.")

**Back to the Farm**

He came to us a naïve kid. Full of farmboy folksiness, an "aw shucks" manner. To look at him, you never would have imagined he'd be able to run a camp this size. But he was an excellent company clerk… efficient, hard-working, and savvy.

He leaves us now a young man. He's grown here, he's matured. And he has changed all of us for the better. We've taken something from him… his gentleness, his compassion, his wide-eyed innocence.

We've often said, "What would we do without you, Radar?" Well, like it or not, we're about to find out.


	35. Absentee Dad

(Inspired by the episode "Period of Adjustment.")

**Absentee Dad**

_Sweetheart, it was really funny, when Erin first saw Radar in his uniform, she ran up to him and said, Hi Daddy._

Really funny…

Really funny…

Not funny at all.

Sugar and spice and everything nice.

Scraped knees and braces and holding hands with boys. Giggles and malted milk shakes and Saturday night sock hops.

Your daddy wants to be there as you grow up. He wants to be your best friend and your shoulder to lean on and your confidant.

But right now, he's some guy in a uniform, thousands of miles away.

No. That's not funny at all.


	36. Over the Rainbow

(Inspired by the episode "The Yalu Brick Road." As you can probably tell from the episode's title, Mike Farrell was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" when he wrote this script. The same goes for my drabble.)

**Over the Rainbow**

I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

Lost in the wilds of Korea… this is not exactly my idea of fun. It's pretty damn scary, if you want to know the truth.

Ralph is forever surrendering, Fred's a weight on B.J.'s shoulders. Which way to go? It's anyone's guess. The enemy could be lurking around any corner.

Soldiers and guns and artillery, oh my.

Who would've guessed I'd ever say this? I actually miss the mighty 4077th.

We'll be OK, we'll find our way back. Repeat after me: There's no place like home, there's no place like home…


	37. Dear God

(Inspired by the episode "Life Time.")

**Dear God**

_Tick tick tick…_

I don't like the way my mind works since I came over here. To _want_ a man to die… that's not any way for a man of God to think. It's horrific. It's blasphemy.

And yet I can't help it.

Take from Harold to save George. Rob Peter to pay Paul.

Lord help me, give me strength. I'm losing my humanity over here, I'm losing my way.

_Tick tick tick…_

Every second counts. I know it's appalling, I know it's obscene, but—God help me—I pray for that young man to die soon.

_Tick tick tick…_


	38. Do the Math

(Inspired by the episode "Stars and Stripes," in which Margaret broke up with Scully.)

**Do the Math**

_Twenty percent my father…_

Somebody who's strong yet gentle. Who's wise and level-headed.

_Ten percent Scully…_

Somebody who knows how to have fun, whose smile lights up a room.

_Ten percent Hawkeye…_

Someone with endless compassion. The kind of man who wants to help everyone.

_Three percent Frank…_

Someone with a sense of order, who shares my belief system.

_One percent Donald…_

Someone who's self-assured, who has the whole world in the palm of his hand.

I don't know, I guess that doesn't add up. What I _do_ know is that right now, I'm one hundred percent alone.


	39. Sleight of Hand

(Inspired by the episode "Dreams.")

**Sleight of Hand**

Charles wakes up drenched in sweat. He takes a few deep breaths and mutters, "Damn." Funny thing, though. The nightmare frightened him awake, but it vanishes instantly. Something about magic tricks…?

_Abracadabra. Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat. Hocus pocus, now you see it, now you don't!__  
_  
It's true, medicine's his magic and always has been. He's gifted and knowledgeable. He uses his scalpel like a wand, and—presto chango!—people are healed.

He's always felt like a sorcerer in the OR, but he has to admit… there are times lately when it all seems like an illusion.


	40. Turning the Tables

(Inspired by the episode "April Fools.")

**Turning the Tables**

Exploding praline cans. Oatmeal in boots. Stolen tents. Psssh, these folks are rank amateurs. Hang on a second while I yawn.

Holy high jinks, April Fool's Day is bigger than that! It's the World Series of practical jokes. It's when you bring out the heavy artillery… pull out all the stops.

Oh, they aint seen nothin' yet. They won't suspect a thing. Their doddering, old commanding officer? Why, he can barely drag himself out of bed every morning.

Ha! Just wait 'till they see what's comin' their way.

Let the games begin, Dan. Let's show these youngsters how it's done.


	41. Another Year in Korea

(Inspired by the episode "A War for All Seasons.")

**Another Year in Korea**

Farewell, 1951. The Sears and Roebuck catalog saw us through, delivering little pieces of home. Margaret knitted a potholder-turned-scarf that was briefly a sweater that ultimately became a blanket. Father Mulcahy planted a garden, but our corn on the cob got creamed. Beej and I made our own crude artificial kidney machine. And Charles hoped to get rich(er) on a baseball bet, then saw his dreams dashed as Bobby Thomson hit a shot heard 'round the world.

A year of creating, growing, dreaming. It's how we cope in the middle of a war that's constantly trying to destroy.


	42. In Denial

(Inspired by the episode "Operation Friendship," in which B.J. suffers an injury after the autoclave explodes.)

**In Denial**

Yeah, my arm's fine. Really.

A surgeon who loses the use of his hand is no surgeon, that's for sure. What would I do then? My ticket home—well yeah, that's a given. But _then_ what?

I come from three generations of doctors. It's all I've ever wanted to do… never gave it a second thought. And surgery... is there anything more challenging? More fascinating?

If I couldn't do it anymore… well, I can't even follow that train of thought to the station.

So like I said, my arm's fine. It just took a hell of a whack, that's all.


	43. Anger Turned Sideways

(Inspired by the episode "Depressing News.")

**Anger Turned Sideways****  
**  
When a half million tongue depressors are delivered to you in error, there's any number of things you can do.

You can shrug your shoulders at the snafu and carry on with your life.

You can be outraged and fire off an angry letter to Supply, telling them to get with it.

Or you can respond as Hawkeye Pierce does, first becoming dismayed at the idea of 500,000 more patients… then turning from distressed to obsessed, deciding to build a monument out of the small wooden items that've been deposited on your doorstep.

After all, depressors don't _have_ to depress.


	44. Ripples

(A double-drabble—200 words exactly—inspired by the episode "Bless You, Hawkeye.")

**Ripples**

At the age of 7, Hawkeye has two idols in his life. One of them is his father, and the other is his 13-year-old cousin Billy.

It's Billy he's with on this sweltering summer day… the two of them in a rowboat on the pond, fishing. Billy's kidding around, acting like a loon, making Hawkeye laugh.

God, he loves Billy.

Hawkeye stands up to get more bait, and he feels a hand on his back, hears laughter at his ear. The hand gives a playful shove and suddenly Hawkeye's wildly off balance. Panic seizes him as he falls into the water, arms flailing.

He tries to scream. His lungs fill with water and he sinks…

Blackness.

A long time later, a hand reaches down and pulls him out. Back onto the boat.

He gasps, trying desperately to get his breath. His heart hammers—he's never been so terrified.

He lies there, looking up at Billy. "You're so clumsy," he hears. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead."

If it weren't for Billy…

Hawkeye coughs, shuts his eyes, rolls to his side. Fishing is long forgotten. The joy of the day has vanished.

And an idol has fallen.


	45. Lechery Negative

(A double-drabble—200 words—inspired by the episode "That's Show Biz.")

**Lechery Negative**

Hawkeye staggers back into the Swamp after 10 hours of surgery. There's a small pile of mail on his cot, and right on top is a postcard. The photo is Times Square, New York City, at night… with all the lights. He picks up the card and flips it over, reads:

_Hawkeye,  
Taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Wish you were here. You may not have left a scar that anyone else can see, but I know it's there. I'll always know it's there.  
Love, Marina_

He sets the card down next to the still and pours himself a drink. Already the correspondence from his USO admirer is dismissed as he struggles to remember which nurse he has a date with tonight. Was it Gloria? Diane? Starting to get annoyed with himself, he paces as he sips his gin. No… it was Linda. That's right.

He pulls off his scrub top and takes one last sip of gin before grabbing his robe to head to the showers. Lucky Linda. He whistles as he heads out of the Swamp.

As the door swings shut behind him, the postcard of Times Square falls off the table and to the floor.


	46. Who Are You?

(Inspired by the episode "Identity Crisis.")

**Who Are You?**

He's Gerald Mullen masquerading as Josh Levin. He's a confused, frightened young man, but of course that doesn't excuse what he's doing. He's taken on the identity of another man—a friend who died—so he can use Levin's discharge orders and go home.

I'm the only one who knows his secret. Well, me and God.

The deception, the lying… it's not the answer. I need to make him realize he can't go through with this. I need to convince him to become Gerald again.

We all lose so much here. But I can't let this young man lose himself.


	47. Job Swap

(Inspired by the episode "'Twas the Day After Christmas" as well as the poem by Clement Clarke Moore. It makes sense, it's a semi-decent parody, _and_ it's 100 words! How did _that_ happen?)

**Job Swap**

'Twas the day after Christmas and all through the camp  
For the morale of the outfit, it's a duty revamp

Klinger becomes commander, Margaret takes K.P.  
Hawkeye washes windows while he plays orderly

The enlisted folks love this fun switcheroo  
But Charles taking orders? It just makes him stew

Potter tries typing but can't get it right  
He does lots of cursing, to Klinger's delight

But the fun must end as real duty calls  
Back to business… enough decking the halls

'Twas great while it lasted… an unusual sight  
Happy Boxing Day to all, and to all a good night.


	48. After Life

(Inspired by the episode "Follies of the Living – Concerns of the Dead.")

**After Life**

Are those two guys really fighting over a hook on a wall?

Hey, guys? Hello?

_My God, I think I'm dead._

I've watched them operate on my buddy. I've watched them put my things into a box. I've tried to talk to them. Nobody hears me except for the sick Corporal, but the others just dismiss him… they think he's delirious.

I wish this were a hallucination. The result of being shot and going into shock… my mind playing tricks.

But I know it's not. I understand that now. I know I'm dead.

The worst part is… life goes on.


	49. Trinkets

(Inspired by the episode "Where There's a Will, There's a War.")  
**  
****Trinkets****  
**_  
__I, Benjamin Franklin Pierce, being of sound mind and endangered body…__  
_  
To my dear friends… to the people who have become my family… I don't have much of value to leave you. A bathrobe, a pair of Groucho glasses, a book…

Trinkets, nothing more. There's meaning behind each one, but none of it really says what I want to say.

We were thrown together under horrible conditions to do an impossible job, and we pulled together and somehow worked miracles. Nothing I leave behind could express how I feel about that.

Worldly possessions? Nah. I leave you my otherworldly love.


	50. Miles Apart in the Same Room

(Inspired by the episode "Sons and Bowlers.")

**Miles Apart in the Same Room**

My father's a good man. He cares about me, always provided for me. But there's no real warmth to our relationship. I can't remember us ever sharing an embrace. Oh, perhaps when I was very young. But not in recent memory. Sent me off to college with a handshake. Said goodbye as I left for war with a crisp salute.

There's love between us, of course there is. But there's a disconnect, a distance, too.

I watch Pierce making his calls and I feel a kind of envy. "Where I have a father," I tell him, "you have a dad."


	51. Invisible

_(Author's Note: We've arrived at season 11! If you've read this far, you rock! Thank you.)_

----

(Inspired by the episode "Hey, Look Me Over.")

**Invisible**

He looks over me and past me… he doesn't see me at all.

He fawns over the other nurses. He serenades them and nuzzles them and dances them around the room. Why not me? When exactly did I become invisible?

I'm just Kellye the buddy, Kellye the pal. Nice enough to chat with, but don't get too close. OK to dance with, as long as it's not cheek-to-cheek.

He has no idea what he's missing. There's a whole lot more to me than what's on the surface.

For somebody named Hawkeye, he doesn't see very well, does he?


	52. Boo!

(Inspired by the episode "Trick or Treatment.")

**Boo!****  
**  
Halloween. A time for rowdy parties, silly costumes, spooky stories. A night when the imagination runs wild… when the supernatural comes calling.

We can try to scare each other with ghost stories all we want. But the real horror is the war outside our door, bringing us wounded soldiers day and night. Who needs vampires and werewolves when we have real monsters? Out here the blood isn't fake, the terror's not imaginary. There's nothing quite so chilling as the knowledge that death is lurking around every corner.

Halloween in Korea. Fake frights in the middle of a real horror show.


	53. The One That Got Away

(Inspired by the episode "Bombshells.")

**The One That Got Away****  
**  
There are still times when B.J. lies awake at night, wondering about that dark-haired soldier. _Where are you? Are you even alive? Did I sentence you to death with that cut of the rope?__  
_  
It's been years and yet he still thinks about it, more often than he'd ever admit. He was there to save lives. The idea that he may have _cost_ someone his life… it'll haunt him for all his days, and it should.

It's a small price to pay, considering he got out with his butt in one piece when so many others weren't so lucky.


	54. Brotherly Love

(Inspired by the episode "Run for the Money.")

**Brotherly Love**

Honoria listens with interest to her brother's tape-recorded account of his conversation with the young soldier who stuttered. She recalls her childhood, being laughed at and called names. "Hon…nuh…nuh…noria," the other children would mock her, thinking themselves terribly clever.

Charles would say, "Don't listen to those boors. You're smarter than all of them combined."

"Even if I am," she'd said, "huh…huh…who would know it?"

"You know it, and I know it. Who else matters?"

Now she listens as Charles describes presenting Private Palmer with a leatherbound copy of _Moby Dick_, and she smiles.

That's her big brother, all right.


	55. Cry for Help

(Inspired by the episode "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." I'm totally cheating here, but we're on the last episode, so I figure I'm allowed. This one turned out to be 500 words, so I guess that could be called a quintuple-drabble… but more accurately, it's a ficlet. Please indulge me.)

**Cry for Help**

Hawkeye watches the mask being lowered onto the patient's face.

"Stop, stop! You're smothering him!"

"But he needs to be given anesthesia, doctor."

"No. No, he doesn't. I'll operate without it."

* * *

Hawkeye gets into the jeep and puts it in gear and the next thing he knows, he's barreling into the Officers Club at 40 mph. He's only marginally aware of the wall crashing in… the screams of the people inside… the chaos. He brings the jeep to a halt before somebody gets injured. He may be reckless, but he's not _crazy_.

"Gimme a double bourbon," he calmly says to Igor.

In the wake of the destruction, B.J. pushes his way into the O Club. He's watched it all unfold… he's had a front-row seat to this sideshow. From the horrific incident on the bus to the increasingly erratic behavior in the OR and out, and now this.

He walks past the jeep and over to Hawkeye, who is actually standing at the bar and awaiting a double bourbon, as if nothing unusual is going on. There'd been about a half-dozen people in the O Club when Hawkeye made his grand entrance. Nobody's hurt, but they're shaken up. They're all standing there staring at Hawkeye with apprehension, shocked into silence.

"Hawk?" B.J. says gently.

A wave of a hand. "Hang on, Beej. I ordered a double bourbon."

"Come on back to the Swamp, Hawk. You wanna lie down, get some rest?"

"No. I want my drink, thank you very much," he says, irritated. B.J. is trying to take hold of his arm, but Hawkeye pulls away.

"Why'd you do this?" B.J. sweeps his arm around, indicating the demolished wall of the O Club and the jeep idling next to one of the tables as if it belongs there.

Hawkeye focuses on B.J.'s face, and for a fleeting moment, he looks completely lucid and obviously contrite. But in the next instant that clarity is gone and his expression turns defiant and dismissive. His eyes have clouded over.

"I wanted a drink," he snaps and turns away from B.J.

All of a sudden there's a maelstrom of activity. It's like coming out of the eye of the hurricane; the brief calm is over, replaced by mayhem. Potter is running to see what the commotion is, barking in his authoritative voice, "What the hell is going on here?" Father Mulcahy is right on his heels, "Oh dear, has someone been hurt?" The folks who'd been quietly standing around the O Club seconds ago are now buzzing, hurling questions at each other and at B.J.

Hawkeye's seemingly oblivious to it all. "I want my drink, Igor!" he yells over the din.

B.J. studies his face and doesn't see anything there that he recognizes. It's as if he's looking at a complete stranger, and he feels the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end. Because that's when he knows. Hawkeye is lost in there… somewhere.

It's time to call Sidney.


	56. Going, Going, Gone

(Inspired by the episode "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.")

**Going, Going, Gone**

In the waning days of the war, Father Mulcahy lost his hearing, Charles lost his refuge, and Hawkeye lost his tenuous grip on reality.

That seems to be what it all comes down to: loss.

Innocence is gone. Time was stolen from us. And far too many lives have been taken from this world.

Where's the sense in it all?

We get to go home and get back to our lives, but those lives will be absent of so much. All the things that have been taken from us will never be replaced.

We won't ever forget what we've lost.


	57. OVER

(And finally, bringing _More Glimpses_ to an end: a double-drabble inspired by the episode "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.")

**O*V*E*R**

Hawkeye sits back in his seat and looks out the plane window with a contented sigh. Is it really over?

Three years. Countless lives saved, far too many lost. People coming and going. Commanding Officers and best friends and adversaries. Redheads, blondes, brunettes…

Enough gin to fill the Sea of Japan.

_So_ tired of Army green. He can't wait to get out of these duds. He may never wear green again.

He smiles even as tears form in his eyes. A hell of a ride. More good memories than bad ones… at least, he hopes so. The people—that's what he wants to remember. His 4077th family. He'll never be able to shake them.

The transvestite from Toledo (never did get his Section 8, and now he's staying in Korea). The wholesome-looking best friend with a penchant for practical jokes. The sage C.O. who rode horses and read Zane Grey. The enigmatic head nurse, one minute a temptress and the next an unyielding disciplinarian. Charles Emerson Winchester _the Third_, snob of the highest order.

Hawkeye lets out a private laugh.

Yeah, a hell of a ride, all right. Hard to believe it's really over.

Like the rocks said…

GOODBYE.


End file.
